I don’t have rules to be my friend- except if you like Glen Beck

So I have told you all that my parents are hippies right? I mean like I’m named after an Allman Brother’s song- seriously. I guess I should be happy that my name is Jessica and not Rainbow or something. I’m pretty sure that they picked my name when my dad got high and listened to the album, deciding that he liked the name- and my mom agreed. Yep that is a fantastic legacy- but really while my parents embarrassed me when I was younger- I can now appreciate them. They gave me a great start, particularly when it comes to having an open mind. They were- and are- people who believe that it is ok to have different ideas and it is in lively debate where we really learn. But, most importantly- that we were not the judge and jury of any other person and respect for other people’s choices and ideas was as important as being passionate about your own.

This is, I am sure, where I got my whole “whatever floats your boat” perspective about people. Well, as long as you are, you know, not breaking the law or hurting someone- or doing any of these things with my husband- what you do is really your beeswax. This has allowed me to enjoy a variety of blogs for a variety of reason even if the blogger themselves and I see things very differently. Just because someone has different ideas than me doesn’t mean that I automatically disregard them especially if I find them interesting or funny or talented. I mean if I think you are a kick ass photographer, or a funny storyteller or have a fabulous eye for design I don’t really care what your stance on healthcare is- or rather I won’t hold it against you if we disagree. But all this is based on just a few caveats and there are things that will get people and their blogs kicked right out of my Google reader:

Being racist or homophobic- sorry mountain momma doesn’t play around with that or anyone filled with hate. This does not mean you can’t have an opinion on something like Affirmative Action or Same Sex marriage- but any diatribe on not liking people based on skin color or sexuality and you are gone.

Judgmental parents- you know the ones who think that letting your kid eat a cupcake is a federal offense and that people who don’t breastfeed should have their children taken away from them. I don’t do self-righteousness very well; I find it utterly annoying.

You call Obama a Nazi and think everything Glen Beck says is true- because honestly why in the world would I waste my time on someone who obviously cannot conceive of a thought of their own.

Poor spelling and grammar- look typos I get, heck I have them here mostly because I don’t always do a thorough check because I write at nap time, when it comes, and sometimes it ends abruptly. But if your writing is so full of errors that it is difficult to understand what you are saying then it feels too much like work- really because that is what I do for a living. Use a friend as an editor, really.

No sense of humor- if you can’t laugh at yourself, take everything too seriously and to heart then you are probably a very boring person. Add more points if you cannot differentiate between someone being serious and someone making a joke. I have read far too many people getting pissed about something that was a joke to begin with. Seriously if they do a skit about it on SNL- they are not serious.

Claiming to be a super religious person but ripping on everyone else- just a thought, but a spiritual person would probably not spend their time finding fault with everything and everyone. I remember that one from Catechism.

Using words/ideas you do not know the definition of- seriously like less than half of the people who yell “socialism” actual know what socialism is and the difference between a theoretical idea and a form of government. As a side note- if you are accusing someone of being a socialist or incompetent, you should probably spell it correctly to be taken at all seriously. The second most incorrectly used concept: irony.

You are a member of the Tea Party- enough said.

Some many ads on your blog that I can’t actually read your post- I don’t mind ads on blogs, if you can make some money doing something you like good for you. But if I have to click closed five pop up ads before I can even get to what you’ve written then I am probably not even bother because it’s just too much work.

10. You get into some sort of fight with another blogger- and it carries over into every post. Honestly I just don’t have the energy. Maybe it was because I don’t gave a sister- only a brother, and most of my friends have always been guys- but I don’t do mean girl behavior, especially in grown women.

I’ve been reading for a while, but I don’t think I’ve ever commented, so I swear I’m not commenting just to point out a spelling error, but, given your dislike of spelling errors, I thought I’d point out an error in your header. It says transplated instead of transplanted.

Music that starts streaming. I love music, but it jams my computer when it’s part of a blog.

What else? Much of what you mention. I honestly don’t visit a lot of political blogs because the fire starts to burn in me when I read some BS. So my way of coping is I don’t deal. It’s much less stressful.

And I especially get annoyed when someone asks me to visit their blog but then doesn’t reach out at all. I mean, let’s have a little reciprocity here…ya know?!

I know this sounds really bad, but I don’t like to read post after post about someone being sick. I don’t mean like cancer. I mean multiple posts about boogers and vomit. You know. I sympathize because being sick sucks, but I just can’t read that on a frequent basis because I’m sqeamish.